It is understood four men armed with knives broke into Wright's north-west London home and held his wife and two daughters in a terrifying raid before making off with personal possessions.

The ex England international is understood to have dashed back to the UK after learning the gang had held a blade to his wife Nancy's throat, and shouted "punch her, kill her!"

The gang are also said to have threatened to slice off the children’s fingers if Nancy didn't hand over cash and jewellery, after forcing their way into her home when she answered the door around 9.20pm last night.

Nancy, 39, is thought to have been put in a bedroom while the couple's two girls were taken to another room.

Ian, 50, tweeted last night: "You won't get away with it", and was said this morning to be "really upset and angry".

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "We are investigating an aggravated burglary at an address in north-west London after we were called at 9.20 last night.

"Personal possessions were stolen. The suspects are described as four black men aged between 18 and 25, with London accents, wearing dark clothing and hoodies obscuring their faces."

(Image: ITV)

A spokeswoman for Wright said this morning: "Ian is currently on a flight home from Brazil now and he lands at lunchtime. He is going straight home to see his family.

"We are very grateful to ITV for being so supportive and getting him back so quickly.

"Nancy is really shaken up. Their kids are so young that hopefully they aren't going to read into it too much. They are all physically OK - Nancy and the kids.

"Ian is just really upset and angry and just wants to come back and be with his family at this time."